Functional appliance therapy with the Bionator

Abstract

Since the early 20th century, functional appliance therapy has been a significant part of orthodontic treatment, especially in Europe, where functional appliances have been used to treat many malocclusions, including some skeletal discrepancies. Although the success of functional appliance therapy as reported in numerous short-term studies from 1930 to 1975 led to an euphoric acceptance of this method, the few long-term studies, especially those comparing treated with untreated homogeneous control groups, indicated that the specific skeletal and dentoalveolar effects depended on the individual growth period and pattern of the patient. In this article, a specific functional appliance, the Bionator, is presented. Long-term follow-up studies provide indications for its use. At the present time, functional orthopedic appliance therapy has a more limited but well-defined place in our therapeutic approach. The type and character of the malocclusion determines the indications and contraindications of the functional appliance. Scientific and clinical experience has shown the importance of a differential diagnosis for each patient, which integrates etiology and morphogenesis in the individual treatment objectives for special skeletal, dentoalveolar, and functional regions. Individualization in the construction of the appliance, taking the above-mentioned factors into consideration, is essential for optimal clinical results.